The present invention relates to a system for starting an internal combustion engine for motor vehicles.
More specifically, the invention concerns a starting system including:
a storage battery, and
an electric starter motor which can be operated to rotate the internal combustion engine.
In systems of this type currently in use, in order to operate the electric starter motor, it must be supplied with an electrical current of the order of hundreds of amps for periods of time which may vary, for example, from one to thirty seconds. In conventional starter systems, this current is typically supplied by a storage battery, generally a lead-acid battery, which is also intended to store and supply the electrical energy needed to operate the electrical equipment in the vehicle. The batteries normally used are quite bulky and heavy. Moreover, connecting wires which have suitable cross-sections, and are thus heavy and expensive, are required between such a battery and an electric starter motor.
The performance of conventional storage batteries is very sensitive to their operating temperatures.